AT 100 ARCHB. EYAKNDUE HUMBLED UMO ENO

 At 100, Archbishop Eyakndue Still Walks Tall

The moment Governor Umo Eno walked into the conference room of Government House, Uyo, on September 17, 2025, something unusual happened. All rose to their feet, but when the frail-looking centenarian guest tried to stand, the Governor rushed to him.

“No, no, no Papa. Please don’t stand. Sit down,” the Governor said, bowing his head and removing his trademark brown cap before the elderly cleric.

The man before him was no ordinary guest. He was Archbishop Nyong Davies Ayakndue, President of the Mount Zion Lighthouse Full Gospel Church, who will turn 100 on September 23. With a firm grip, the silver-haired patriarch held the Governor’s hands and fired a stream of passionate prayers for nearly three minutes, leaving cabinet members and aides in awe.

This was no routine courtesy call — this was history in the making. Despite his age, Archbishop Ayakndue remains strong in body and spirit. Ramrod straight, without a cane, he strode into Government House in full episcopal regalia — a crimson cassock, yellow zucchetto, and a dangling silver pectoral cross. Like Moses in the Bible, “his eyes are not dim, neither has his strength abated.”

Though he allowed his National Secretary, Apostle Ekpe Effiong, to read his official speech, the Archbishop repeated its contents word-for-word during his personal remarks to the Governor.

“In you, I have seen the salvation of Akwa Ibom State,” he said, comparing Governor Eno to the blessed peacemakers of Matthew 5:9.

The Archbishop praised the Governor’s ARISE Agenda, testifying to its impact on youths, widows, pensioners, civil servants, and traders across the state. Then, with characteristic humour, he made one personal request:

“Your Excellency, please fix the road to my country home in Afaha Offiong. It has always been my desire to drive on a good road before I depart this world. This road has done serious injustice to my vehicles,” he quipped, drawing laughter across the hall.

Governor Eno’s response was immediate. Turning to his Commissioner of Works, he ordered: “Fix that road. It must not do injustice to Papa’s vehicles anymore.”

The Archbishop’s stamina stunned even his aides. After his late-night meeting with the Governor, he promised to leave for Calabar at 8am. But by 6am, he was gone. By 9:15am, he was already in his church office — on the first floor — which he still climbs daily unaided.

“He is still fasting, praying, and meditating like in his younger years,” said Apostle Effiong. “His brain, concentration, and coordination are 100%.”

According to his youngest child, Queen Esther, a lecturer in Human Physiology, his favourite meals are seafood-based, especially periwinkle (“mfi”), with white or okra soup.

Born in 1925, Archbishop Ayakndue worked with the Nigerian Police, Costain Construction, and Guinness Nigeria, where he rose to Assistant Sales Manager. At 60, he left the secular world to serve God fully.

He became an elder in 1974, pastor in 1979, bishop in 1991, and finally Archbishop and President of Mount Zion Lighthouse in 2021. Today, he presides over a church with branches in all 31 LGAs of Akwa Ibom.

A strict disciplinarian, he insists that “delay is dangerous,” often reminding his pastors that “the owner of the work is watching us"

Governor Eno, visibly moved by the encounter, summed it up: “Papa, your remarkable life is more than a blessing. It is an inspiration. To find a man of God still serving at 100 is rare. May your legacy continue to motivate us in service to God and humanity.”

For a man who has lived through colonial Nigeria, independence, civil war, and decades of national transformation, Archbishop Ayakndue remains unbowed, unbroken, and unrelenting.

At 100, he is not just a pastor — he is a testimony.